Green building trend: Sports complexes

From the Olympic Village in Vancouver to the home of the Atlanta Hawks, sports complexes are going green.

Green building is growing in popularity and there are a few new trends sprouting up – including sports complexes. The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver and many of the facilities have been designed to use green building strategies. The home of the Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers has recently received LEED certification and the arena of a minor league hockey team in Washington has been built from the ground up with LEED Silver certification in mind.

Vancouver Olympic Village – British Columbia

The Richmond Olympic Oval is LEED Silver certified and the Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre (VANOC) is hoping to receive LEED Gold certification. The Vancouver Organizing Committee has recently created the “Sustainability Star” program to help recognize environmental measures taken by the event’s partners.

Philips Arena – Atlanta, Ga.

The home of the Atlanta Hawks (NBA) and Atlanta Thrashers (NHL), Philips Arena, has just undergone a green makeover. According to an article that appeared on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website, “Among other things, the arena has new carpet with recycled material, compact-fluorescent lamps and more recycling. Water conservation measures have cut water usage by 2 million gallons over the past 11 months.” Source: AJC.com These measures earned Philips Arena a LEED certification in the Existing Building: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EB: O&M) category.

Showare Center – Kent, Wash.

The Seattle Thunderbirds, a minor league hockey team, call the Showare Center in Kent, Washington home. Although the building has not received LEED certification yet, the facility was built according to LEED-NC Silver certification specifications. Some of the eco-friendly Showare Center facts include an annual savings of 380,000 gallons of water, the recycling of 90% of construction debris, and the use of native plants.

The green building trend among sports complexes isn’t limited to major sports centers, several colleges around the country have fitness centers that were built to green standards. Check back tomorrow for information on a few of these college facilities.